Behind the Canvas - Sharkey Stitches

Any kind of decorative stitch! While I love the look of tent stitches, I find them so boring to stitch, so I love to try out new stitches on every project. My current go-to stitches are the corduroy stitch and diagonal mosaic. I am hoping to find a place to use a Bargello stitch soon!

I am definitely a creature of habit when it comes to threads! For 13ct mesh canvases, my preference is Silk & Ivory. For 18ct mesh canvases, my preference is Essentials or Pepper Pot. I do love a sparkly thread or a straw silk every now and then!

When I was pregnant, I started looking for all the baby related canvases and I kept coming across the same select few canvases. I wanted something cute to share my excitement in welcoming my first child and to celebrate her babyhood and I couldn’t find a ton that I loved. I had a lot of time stuck at home so I started designing my own canvases that could represent this period of her life. Once I started designing, I had a ton of ideas!

Playful, joyful, and fun!

I am inspired by things in my life and things I would want to stitch. I am a (fairly) new parent and don’t have a ton of time to stitch so I try to encapsulate things that resonate with me or represent this period. I also want to create new designs that bring me joy whether something that can be used every day or something that only is brought up seasonally. Needlepoint should be fun to stitch but also fun to enjoy for years down the road!

Painting canvases is one of my least favorite parts of the process but I love the details of the Oh Baby! Canvas. It incorporates so many fun baby items that I loved to design and paint.

My favorite to stitch has been the Jungle Friends canvas. These friends were a critical member of our family the first six months of my daughter's life and it brought back so many fun memories while I was stitching it. 

Go slow! It’s a marathon, not a sprint and the more effort and detail you put in during painting, the easier it will be to follow while you are stitching. 

My favorite place to stitch is on my couch, with a blanket and a glass of Rosé.

Spending time with my family. We spend a lot of time together exploring new places and traveling. We spend a lot of time in Florida with our parents and absolutely love being outside. 

Scissors, a Snag Nab-it, and extra needles. I somehow lose needles SO often so I always need to have extras on me. I also keep a Snag Nab-It because my tension isn’t the best but I am very particular in making it look all uniform.

I am not a big TV watcher - I usually just watch whatever is on in the house - there is currently lots of sports and/or Paw Patrol on these days. 

My always go to is Be There in 5 with Kate Kennedy but right now, listening to Chicks in the Office and Call Her Daddy!

I love Needlepoint TikTok - I feel like I learn so much! Outside of the needlepoint world, I am obsessed with all the recommendations from @things.i.bought.and.liked, @lindsaysilb (& @hotellobbycandle - they are amazing!) and @my.sister.made.me.buy.it.

I would stitch every single Rachel Barri nutcracker and Le Point village. My house at Christmas would be a needlepoint dream!!

I am inspired creatively by color that I find in the world around me, content online, and people I interact with. I love to scroll Pinterest and find all sorts of hidden gems and photos/content that I might never come across. I took color theory when I was in art school and my favorite part of designing is picking out the color palette and coordinating threads.

I am most excited about my daughter’s first birthday and my new collection with Penny Linn launching!

Penny Linn!

On instagram and Tik Tok at @sharkeystitches